Dearest Readers:
Most of the articles I have
written in the past year-and-a-half have been in one way or another personal to
me. You have read all about my childhood experiences, college shenanigans and
even a quip or two about my adult years. You were there when I shared my
wedding giddiness with another “Ashley Albin” and now, when I have an
overabundance of material – my new husband – who always takes my jabs with a
very sweet “I’d sue you for libel if we didn’t have a joint bank account.”
This editorial is something that is very near and dear to
my heart, so I thought it appropriate to present it as a “Letter from the
Editor.”
Nine years ago, my father was diagnosed with Parkinson’s
Disease, as was his mother. She lived with the disease for several years before
her passing in 1995. Parkinson’s is a chronic, degenerative neurological
disorder, meaning your brain and body slowly dies. My family is not alone in
this fight. Over a million people United States suffer from the
disease, and nearly 60,000 new cases are diagnosed each year.
If you had the pleasure of meeting my father more than a
decade ago, you’d know he was a robust, six-foot-five man, with dark skin, a
deep voice and a ‘fro of black curly hair. (It eventually faded to “salt-and-pepper.”)
He drank Keystone Light from a can, cheered for the Miami Dolphins, wouldn’t
drive anything but a Ford, insisted at least one of his children sported the
name “West” because he was from Arizona and loved his cowboy heritage, and was
proud of Elvis Presley for walking into Richard Nixon’s office with a gun. He
was a quiet guy and was very sweet but always kept a quick-witted retort in his
back pocket.
Dad still thinks the Dolphins will eventually come out of
their slump, enjoys an occasional Keystone Light and even danced with me to
“Love Me Tender” at my wedding, but where a vibrant guy with a big heart once stood,
someone very different remains. Though my father isn’t completely gone from my
life, it is beyond heartbreaking to watch your parent slowly morph into a world
of confusion, depression and degeneration.
Fortunately, great strides have been made in finding the
cure for PD due to the affliction of the movie star Michael J. Fox. My father
has been privileged enough to be the patient of some of the best neurological
doctors in the world, has had access to the very expensive barrage of
medications that allow him to function somewhat normally, and is surrounded by family
and friends who love and care for him, but so many others do not share such
advantages and a cure is the only hope they have left.
On October 25, 2008, at the Communities of Solarbron, you
can help my father and the one million other PD sufferers by participating in
the third annual Stomp Out Parkinson’s Disease Awareness Walk. The Young Onset
Parkinson’s Support Group and the Parkinson’s Awareness Support Group of the
Tri-State will host a two-mile walk to benefit the Parkinson’s Unity Walk. The
Parkinson’s Unity Walk distributes the funds among the seven major PD
organizations, including the Parkinson’s Action Network and the Michael J. Fox
Foundation for Parkinson’s Research.
According to Ben Schmitt, “Our goal is to increase
Parkinson’s awareness and raise much needed funds for advocacy and research. In
addition, the event will be a celebration of a unified Parkinson’s community.
Currently, there is no known cause or cure but with your help we can move
closer towards finding a cure.”
Over $18,300 was raised at Stomp Out Parkinson’s Walk [Evansville] in the past
two years and 350 people participated. This year’s goal is $15,000.
I hope to meet all my readers on October 25 at the Communities of Solarbron Campus located adjacent to
the University of Southern Indiana in Evansville. The festivities start at 10
a.m. Be sure to collect your donations
prior to the event because prizes will be awarded to the top donation
collectors. For questions on the Stomp Out Parkinson’s Walk or for information
on PD and support groups for PD, contact Karen Smith at EvansvilleCWM@aol.comThis e-mail address is being protected from
spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or (812) 424-2887.
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PHOTO CREDITS | MARK MCCOY (TOP LEFT ), ALBIN FAMILY (BOTTOM RIGHT)
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